1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner enabling a user to clean steps of a stairway without manually lifting the main body while cleaning the stairway.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a vacuum cleaner is an electric appliance that cleans indoor areas, such as the inside of a house or car. By generating a vacuum suction force, the vacuum cleaner removes unwanted impurities such as dust existing therein.
As shown in FIG. 1, a vacuum cleaner basically includes a main body 1, which is formed of a fan motor generating a driving force therein, a fan, and a cyclone dust collector (not shown), and a suction head 2 connected to the main body 1 and sucking in all kinds of impurity existing on a surface to be cleaned.
A suction hose 3 connected to a front portion of the main body 1, and an extension tube 4 connected to the suction head 2, are both installed between the main body 1 and the suction head 2. Herein, the suction hose 3 and the extension tube 4 are connected to one another.
Meanwhile, an exhaust filter 5 filtering and discharging air, which is sucked in through the suction head 2 along with the dust, is fixed on one side of the front portion of the main body 1. Wheels 6 are fixed on both sides of the rear portion of the main body 1, enabling the main body 1 to make back-and-forth rolling motions. A roller caster 7 is fixed on the front lower surface of the main body 1, so as to allow back-and-forth rolling and rotating motions on a flat surface, thereby enabling the user to control and move the main body 1 to a desired direction.
A dust collecting chamber 8 is detachably fixed onto the main body 1 between the wheels 6. Meanwhile, the upper side of the main body 1 is equipped with a handle 100 for handling the main body 1.
When operated, the vacuum cleaner having the above-described structure sucks in air along with the impurities therein through the suction head 2. The impurities are separated from the air by using a cyclonic principle of separation, which are then sent to the dust collecting chamber 8 to be collected. The air separated from the impurities is discharged to the outside through the exhaust filter 5.
However, when cleaning stairways, the related art vacuum cleaner has a tendency to slip down the stairs due to the load of the main body 1.
Because of the structural feature of a handle 80 attached to the dust collecting chamber 8, as shown in FIG. 2, the handle 80 does not come into contact with the surface of the step, unlike the wheels 6 on the rear portion of the main body 1. This results in an-easy slippage of the main body 1 of the related art vacuum cleaner.
Therefore, a separate wedge is necessary for preventing such slippage. Accordingly, the user undergoes the inconvenience of lifting the main body 1 with one hand and holding the extension tube 4 or the handle 400 of the extension tube 4 with the other hand, while going up and down the stairway in order to clean the steps.